Finding Truth Behind Legends
by Wizardtho
When I wake, it’s to the sound of whispers nearby, a warm heat surrounding me completely. I’m still curled up, but the cool air doesn’t seem to be touching my back, plus my head is resting on fur instead of a pillow.
Zander’s familiar voice catches my attention when he offers in response to a small whine, “She decided to rest with you when you felt her hand leaving your fur. You whimpered a bit in your sleep. I could see there was no changing her mind, so I gave her a pillow. You curled around her protectively only a few minutes after she drifted off, which was when she tossed the pillow. She curled right into your chest and hasn’t stirred since.”
I blink my eyes open slowly to be met with piercingly beautiful caramel. My hand lifts to cup Taha’s face as I whisper sleepily, “Hi. Did you sleep well? Your eyes are looking better than they were.”
He rumbles slightly as he rests his head to cover my side, then lifts enough to give me a wolfy smile. I hum as I put his answer together almost instantly, then stroke his muzzle as I reply, “You liked the closeness? Me, too. Your heat was comforting, and reminded me that you were okay. I’ve been really worried for you, you know.”
He gives me a small nod, but quickly nuzzles his head back into my hand, making me chuckle, “Why don’t we check your wounds real quick, get your blankets changed out for some clean ones again, then we’ll curl up together while I read some more of Gran Hurit’s journal. How does that sound?”
He lets his tongue loll out while his tail thumps gently against the floor at my back. Zander laughs from nearby, but I grin, “No translation needed for that response. Let me use the restroom and gather my supplies.”
Taha seems to be doing really well when I get the bandages off him. The salve in the worst of his wounds is changing colors, but what had been packed in the smaller wounds is still an opaque color. I let out a breath at that, then nod to Zander, “The smaller wounds are free of poison already. Once his underbelly and chest are cleaned and disinfected again, I’m going to stitch those. I’ll put a layer of salve over them to protect them from the larger wounds leaking salve into the healing ones.”
Zander grins widely in response, “That’s amazing news, little coyote. What do you need me to help with?”
I had donned a fresh set of gloves as he spoke, so I direct him to get the thread and needle ready while I clean and disinfect Taha’s wounds. The amazing behemoth of a wolf actually lays completely still underneath me as I carefully stitch his uninfected gashes closed. He only lets out the smallest whine when I start repacking the worst of his wounds with new salve.
I must be getting better at taking care of Taha, because I don’t even need a shower once Zander helps me wrap his torso. My shirt only has a small spot or two of salve, which I’m able to take care of with a soapy cloth after I wash up the splotches on my forearms.
Just as I settle back against my white wolf with Gran’s journal, I hear laughing. Lily walks through the great room french doors with a couple other females, all wearing long bib overalls and heavy duty cleaning gloves that reach their elbows. I shake my head with a chuckle, ready to ask what this is all about, but Lily beats me to it. “Bella? The girls and I want to help out, so you don’t need to worry about anything but Taha. We already have the blood soaked towels soaking in straight vinegar, but didn’t know what you wanted us to pretreat the blankets with.”
I remember Gran Marie teaching me to use WD-40 on waxy or greasy stains, so I offer, “Thank you guys so much. By the time I would have remembered them, they’d have been ruined. There should be a bunch of WD-40 bottles on a shelf in the laundry. Spray it directly on the spots, on both sides of the fabric. Let them soak for about 10 minutes, then rinse. If there’s still some residue or stain left, just repeat and let them soak for another 30 minutes. They can be washed right away after that. If you wouldn’t mind, my first couple of sets of clothes could use treating, too. I just dropped them all in a pile on my bathroom floor.”
Lily nods as one of the other imprints rushes toward my bedroom, coming out only a minute or so later with an arm full of soiled clothes. She smiles at me, nods to Taha, then runs outside with her finds. Lily detours into the laundry, making me chuckle as she comes back with laundry basket full of yellow and blue bottles.
I thank her again, but she stops just before reaching the french doors to say, “There’s no need, Bella. Honestly, it’s a relief to be of use right now. Taha Aki has always been good to our tribe. This allows us to be close if you need something else, while still doing something productive with our worry. It also relieves the stress of not being close to our mates. If we weren’t here, we’d just all be worrying at one of our houses, hating that we weren’t doing something to help.”
I give Lily an understanding nod as I settle back against Taha again. Opening Gran’s journal, I pick up reading where I left off. Often, when there’s a part that intrigues me, I’ll automatically start telling Taha. Interestingly enough, even though I’m only doing it to keep him company, talking to him helps me learn his body language and facial expressions.
By the time a new 2 hour mark sneaks up on us, I can almost feel his answers through
his simple gestures, even though the feelings are -more often than not- much more detailed than his expressions are.
I close Gran Hurit’s journal and lean my head against Taha’s side gently. He nudges my hand, so I look into his eyes. I feel like he’s asking me why I stopped reading, so I smile sadly, “Gran mentioned your name. I’d rather not read something about you that you haven’t told me yourself. I know you can’t exactly do that yet, being injured, so I’ll wait. Plus, it’s time for me to check your wounds again.”
Taha’s features turn sad, so I shake my head while cradling his muzzle in my hands. “Don’t. Please. No matter how scary this situation has been, I have no doubt you became injured to save me, Taha. Everyone has been completely avoiding the topic of the vampire you took out, so most likely, it was one of the Volturi who found my scent in the woods. Once I’m able to be sure of your recovery, and can safely stitch your worst wounds, I’ll tell you that story… just like I can feel that you’ll tell me yours when you can. I’m -oddly enough- content to wait until you’re ready. Now let’s get you taken care of, hmm?”
This time, Taha’s stitched wounds look to be almost fully closed… still raw, but almost like a deep scratch instead of a gouge. As for his larger wounds, the salve looks to have a lot less of the clear pearlescent green to it, but it isn’t completely back to the opaque black yet.
I tell both Taha and Greg as we get ready to wrap the giant wolf’s torso, “You’re doing well. I want to go another round before we stitch your larger wounds. There wasn’t much of the poison drawn into the salve this time, so I want to make sure nothing is wrong before we stitch the larger wounds. If there’s no venom in the salve the next time we check, I’ll have Zander make sure he can’t smell any in the wounds still before we stitch you up.”
Taha makes a small whine as he twitches slightly. I try to understand this new expression on his face, as well as the odd feeling that seems to accompany it for me, but fail miserably. I shake my head, saying, “Sorry… this one I don’t understand.”
Greg chuckles slightly as Taha repeats the gesture, then explains, “The stitches he already has… they’re itching, Bella. Can they come out yet?”
I shake my head, “Not yet. It’s too risky. If you move at all on your own, or the pack happens to grab you just the right way when carrying you, the wounds could split back open without the stitches there. If that happens, you risk contaminated salve leaking back into the smaller wounds. Besides, you’re supposed to be this uber strong behemoth of a legendary wolf… are you telling me you can’t handle a little bit of itching for a few more hours?”
His facial features -as well as the feelings I’m getting- cycle so fast I almost don’t catch them. They switch from grumpy to understanding, then shock to mirth, all within a short few seconds before he lets out a rough bark of a laugh. I smirk at him in response, “Yes, I was picking on you, oh mighty white wolf. Get used to it. Now can you be still for a few seconds? I need to get you wrapped back up.”
He does try to lay still, but ends up making a snickering sound while shaking his head every once in awhile. Greg isn’t helping much, since he can’t hide his own snickering for crap. That means it takes twice as long for me to get Taha sufficiently wrapped, so by the time I get the last gauze strip tied off, Zander is coming into the room with a questioning look.
I shake my head with a chuckle, “Mr. Alpha wolf and your beta are having a hard time composing themselves because I was picking on Taha. I guess my statement shocked him before he realised I was picking on him, so now both of them are having a good few snickers about it.”
Zander cracks up, but as he’s trying to compose himself, he asks, “Wait… wait… what did you say to him? You have to understand, little coyote. Taha’s like the elder to our elders’ elders… he’s been around that long. He doesn’t get picked on. None of us would dare.”
I shake my head, suddenly upset by this news, which causes my voice to come out slightly harsh. “Seriously?! Well maybe you should dare. Taha might have been phasing all this time while waiting to find his mate, but he’s still a man. I can’t imagine his mind and heart feel like he’s centuries old when you’re in the mind link. Treating him like they are will only hinder him and dampen his spirit, which will make the search for his imprint even harder.”
I suddenly realise I’m practically scolding the alpha and beta of my tribe, so I mumble as I start fidgeting with my hands, my eyes intent on the floor at my feet, “At least, that’s how I would feel. Sorry, I shouldn’t… that was… hell, I don’t even know what that was.”
Needing out, I turn and dash to my room, hurriedly closing the doors behind me. Tears immediately fill my eyes, but as I sniffle and try to hold them back, I hear a knock on the door. “Bella, it’s Will. May I come in?”
My voice sounds choked up as I call out, “Yes.”
Will enters and closes the door behind him, then sits in the chair next to the one I plop down into. Without asking me what’s wrong, he chooses to say instead, “It seems we can no longer wait to work on your emotional state. I have sent the others off to patrol the property to give us privacy. Your wolf is fine, but I can open the door so you are able to keep an eye on him if you wish.”
I nod, suddenly worried that something could happen if no one’s with him, so Will opens the doors before coming back to me. I let out a breath at seeing Taha laying with his head facing us. He’s alright for now.
When Will speaks next, it’s to say, “You were not in the wrong, little coyote. Having to go through so much in your young life has worn on your soul, hasn’t it? Though you were speaking about Taha Aki, you were also speaking of yourself, correct?”
I nod sadly, “I wasn’t meaning to, but yes. It’s just… I know how well-meaning words can still wear a person down. I know how it feels to be the oddball… the one who isn’t like the others. I don’t mean to say they do it on purpose, because I don’t believe they would. I just think, from how Zander said what he did, that they treat him differently. It’s well-meaning and respectful, but it sets him apart from them even more than him being the only wolf in a pack of coyotes does. I mean, Christ, Will… look at my situation. I dated a vampire, just to try to fit in somewhere. Everyone wants to feel like they belong somewhere. Taha -for whatever reason- didn’t feel he fit with his own people anymore, and the spirits guided him here. What’s left for him if he hasn’t found his place here, after all this time? What hope does that leave the rest of us with?”
Will hums a bit as he pats my leg in comfort, then says seriously, “Finding your inner spirit and where you belong is not an easy task, Bella. For some, like Taha, it may take centuries to find their path. For others, the path is already under their feet. Knowing it is there is the difficult part. I have thought long and hard about how to help you as I’ve watched you care for your wolf these last hours, little coyote. If you are agreeable, I believe a spirit walk would benefit you tremendously.”
My head turns quickly toward Will, but I happen to notice Taha’s ear twitching slightly as his eyes widen. I get a feeling that this will be both difficult and beneficial, so I ask, “How soon? I wouldn’t feel comfortable about going on a spirit journey until Taha is fully healed. From what I understand from the Quileute pack, they can last days.”
Will shakes his head, “I would not take you from your wolf in his time of need, Bella. If it would comfort you, once Taha Aki is healed and able to hunt on his own, it might benefit you on your journey to have him close. I heard you saying earlier that his heat was comforting.”
Taha’s eyes sparkle as he gives me a little nod of his head, which immediately calms some of my fears. I let out a breath, saying after a second, “I think I’d feel more at ease if he were there, yes. I can’t explain it… but I don’t like not being able to see and feel him close.”
Will nodded, “No need to say more. Trust your instincts, little coyote.”
Zander’s familiar voice catches my attention when he offers in response to a small whine, “She decided to rest with you when you felt her hand leaving your fur. You whimpered a bit in your sleep. I could see there was no changing her mind, so I gave her a pillow. You curled around her protectively only a few minutes after she drifted off, which was when she tossed the pillow. She curled right into your chest and hasn’t stirred since.”
I blink my eyes open slowly to be met with piercingly beautiful caramel. My hand lifts to cup Taha’s face as I whisper sleepily, “Hi. Did you sleep well? Your eyes are looking better than they were.”
He rumbles slightly as he rests his head to cover my side, then lifts enough to give me a wolfy smile. I hum as I put his answer together almost instantly, then stroke his muzzle as I reply, “You liked the closeness? Me, too. Your heat was comforting, and reminded me that you were okay. I’ve been really worried for you, you know.”
He gives me a small nod, but quickly nuzzles his head back into my hand, making me chuckle, “Why don’t we check your wounds real quick, get your blankets changed out for some clean ones again, then we’ll curl up together while I read some more of Gran Hurit’s journal. How does that sound?”
He lets his tongue loll out while his tail thumps gently against the floor at my back. Zander laughs from nearby, but I grin, “No translation needed for that response. Let me use the restroom and gather my supplies.”
Taha seems to be doing really well when I get the bandages off him. The salve in the worst of his wounds is changing colors, but what had been packed in the smaller wounds is still an opaque color. I let out a breath at that, then nod to Zander, “The smaller wounds are free of poison already. Once his underbelly and chest are cleaned and disinfected again, I’m going to stitch those. I’ll put a layer of salve over them to protect them from the larger wounds leaking salve into the healing ones.”
Zander grins widely in response, “That’s amazing news, little coyote. What do you need me to help with?”
I had donned a fresh set of gloves as he spoke, so I direct him to get the thread and needle ready while I clean and disinfect Taha’s wounds. The amazing behemoth of a wolf actually lays completely still underneath me as I carefully stitch his uninfected gashes closed. He only lets out the smallest whine when I start repacking the worst of his wounds with new salve.
I must be getting better at taking care of Taha, because I don’t even need a shower once Zander helps me wrap his torso. My shirt only has a small spot or two of salve, which I’m able to take care of with a soapy cloth after I wash up the splotches on my forearms.
Just as I settle back against my white wolf with Gran’s journal, I hear laughing. Lily walks through the great room french doors with a couple other females, all wearing long bib overalls and heavy duty cleaning gloves that reach their elbows. I shake my head with a chuckle, ready to ask what this is all about, but Lily beats me to it. “Bella? The girls and I want to help out, so you don’t need to worry about anything but Taha. We already have the blood soaked towels soaking in straight vinegar, but didn’t know what you wanted us to pretreat the blankets with.”
I remember Gran Marie teaching me to use WD-40 on waxy or greasy stains, so I offer, “Thank you guys so much. By the time I would have remembered them, they’d have been ruined. There should be a bunch of WD-40 bottles on a shelf in the laundry. Spray it directly on the spots, on both sides of the fabric. Let them soak for about 10 minutes, then rinse. If there’s still some residue or stain left, just repeat and let them soak for another 30 minutes. They can be washed right away after that. If you wouldn’t mind, my first couple of sets of clothes could use treating, too. I just dropped them all in a pile on my bathroom floor.”
Lily nods as one of the other imprints rushes toward my bedroom, coming out only a minute or so later with an arm full of soiled clothes. She smiles at me, nods to Taha, then runs outside with her finds. Lily detours into the laundry, making me chuckle as she comes back with laundry basket full of yellow and blue bottles.
I thank her again, but she stops just before reaching the french doors to say, “There’s no need, Bella. Honestly, it’s a relief to be of use right now. Taha Aki has always been good to our tribe. This allows us to be close if you need something else, while still doing something productive with our worry. It also relieves the stress of not being close to our mates. If we weren’t here, we’d just all be worrying at one of our houses, hating that we weren’t doing something to help.”
I give Lily an understanding nod as I settle back against Taha again. Opening Gran’s journal, I pick up reading where I left off. Often, when there’s a part that intrigues me, I’ll automatically start telling Taha. Interestingly enough, even though I’m only doing it to keep him company, talking to him helps me learn his body language and facial expressions.
By the time a new 2 hour mark sneaks up on us, I can almost feel his answers through
his simple gestures, even though the feelings are -more often than not- much more detailed than his expressions are.
I close Gran Hurit’s journal and lean my head against Taha’s side gently. He nudges my hand, so I look into his eyes. I feel like he’s asking me why I stopped reading, so I smile sadly, “Gran mentioned your name. I’d rather not read something about you that you haven’t told me yourself. I know you can’t exactly do that yet, being injured, so I’ll wait. Plus, it’s time for me to check your wounds again.”
Taha’s features turn sad, so I shake my head while cradling his muzzle in my hands. “Don’t. Please. No matter how scary this situation has been, I have no doubt you became injured to save me, Taha. Everyone has been completely avoiding the topic of the vampire you took out, so most likely, it was one of the Volturi who found my scent in the woods. Once I’m able to be sure of your recovery, and can safely stitch your worst wounds, I’ll tell you that story… just like I can feel that you’ll tell me yours when you can. I’m -oddly enough- content to wait until you’re ready. Now let’s get you taken care of, hmm?”
This time, Taha’s stitched wounds look to be almost fully closed… still raw, but almost like a deep scratch instead of a gouge. As for his larger wounds, the salve looks to have a lot less of the clear pearlescent green to it, but it isn’t completely back to the opaque black yet.
I tell both Taha and Greg as we get ready to wrap the giant wolf’s torso, “You’re doing well. I want to go another round before we stitch your larger wounds. There wasn’t much of the poison drawn into the salve this time, so I want to make sure nothing is wrong before we stitch the larger wounds. If there’s no venom in the salve the next time we check, I’ll have Zander make sure he can’t smell any in the wounds still before we stitch you up.”
Taha makes a small whine as he twitches slightly. I try to understand this new expression on his face, as well as the odd feeling that seems to accompany it for me, but fail miserably. I shake my head, saying, “Sorry… this one I don’t understand.”
Greg chuckles slightly as Taha repeats the gesture, then explains, “The stitches he already has… they’re itching, Bella. Can they come out yet?”
I shake my head, “Not yet. It’s too risky. If you move at all on your own, or the pack happens to grab you just the right way when carrying you, the wounds could split back open without the stitches there. If that happens, you risk contaminated salve leaking back into the smaller wounds. Besides, you’re supposed to be this uber strong behemoth of a legendary wolf… are you telling me you can’t handle a little bit of itching for a few more hours?”
His facial features -as well as the feelings I’m getting- cycle so fast I almost don’t catch them. They switch from grumpy to understanding, then shock to mirth, all within a short few seconds before he lets out a rough bark of a laugh. I smirk at him in response, “Yes, I was picking on you, oh mighty white wolf. Get used to it. Now can you be still for a few seconds? I need to get you wrapped back up.”
He does try to lay still, but ends up making a snickering sound while shaking his head every once in awhile. Greg isn’t helping much, since he can’t hide his own snickering for crap. That means it takes twice as long for me to get Taha sufficiently wrapped, so by the time I get the last gauze strip tied off, Zander is coming into the room with a questioning look.
I shake my head with a chuckle, “Mr. Alpha wolf and your beta are having a hard time composing themselves because I was picking on Taha. I guess my statement shocked him before he realised I was picking on him, so now both of them are having a good few snickers about it.”
Zander cracks up, but as he’s trying to compose himself, he asks, “Wait… wait… what did you say to him? You have to understand, little coyote. Taha’s like the elder to our elders’ elders… he’s been around that long. He doesn’t get picked on. None of us would dare.”
I shake my head, suddenly upset by this news, which causes my voice to come out slightly harsh. “Seriously?! Well maybe you should dare. Taha might have been phasing all this time while waiting to find his mate, but he’s still a man. I can’t imagine his mind and heart feel like he’s centuries old when you’re in the mind link. Treating him like they are will only hinder him and dampen his spirit, which will make the search for his imprint even harder.”
I suddenly realise I’m practically scolding the alpha and beta of my tribe, so I mumble as I start fidgeting with my hands, my eyes intent on the floor at my feet, “At least, that’s how I would feel. Sorry, I shouldn’t… that was… hell, I don’t even know what that was.”
Needing out, I turn and dash to my room, hurriedly closing the doors behind me. Tears immediately fill my eyes, but as I sniffle and try to hold them back, I hear a knock on the door. “Bella, it’s Will. May I come in?”
My voice sounds choked up as I call out, “Yes.”
Will enters and closes the door behind him, then sits in the chair next to the one I plop down into. Without asking me what’s wrong, he chooses to say instead, “It seems we can no longer wait to work on your emotional state. I have sent the others off to patrol the property to give us privacy. Your wolf is fine, but I can open the door so you are able to keep an eye on him if you wish.”
I nod, suddenly worried that something could happen if no one’s with him, so Will opens the doors before coming back to me. I let out a breath at seeing Taha laying with his head facing us. He’s alright for now.
When Will speaks next, it’s to say, “You were not in the wrong, little coyote. Having to go through so much in your young life has worn on your soul, hasn’t it? Though you were speaking about Taha Aki, you were also speaking of yourself, correct?”
I nod sadly, “I wasn’t meaning to, but yes. It’s just… I know how well-meaning words can still wear a person down. I know how it feels to be the oddball… the one who isn’t like the others. I don’t mean to say they do it on purpose, because I don’t believe they would. I just think, from how Zander said what he did, that they treat him differently. It’s well-meaning and respectful, but it sets him apart from them even more than him being the only wolf in a pack of coyotes does. I mean, Christ, Will… look at my situation. I dated a vampire, just to try to fit in somewhere. Everyone wants to feel like they belong somewhere. Taha -for whatever reason- didn’t feel he fit with his own people anymore, and the spirits guided him here. What’s left for him if he hasn’t found his place here, after all this time? What hope does that leave the rest of us with?”
Will hums a bit as he pats my leg in comfort, then says seriously, “Finding your inner spirit and where you belong is not an easy task, Bella. For some, like Taha, it may take centuries to find their path. For others, the path is already under their feet. Knowing it is there is the difficult part. I have thought long and hard about how to help you as I’ve watched you care for your wolf these last hours, little coyote. If you are agreeable, I believe a spirit walk would benefit you tremendously.”
My head turns quickly toward Will, but I happen to notice Taha’s ear twitching slightly as his eyes widen. I get a feeling that this will be both difficult and beneficial, so I ask, “How soon? I wouldn’t feel comfortable about going on a spirit journey until Taha is fully healed. From what I understand from the Quileute pack, they can last days.”
Will shakes his head, “I would not take you from your wolf in his time of need, Bella. If it would comfort you, once Taha Aki is healed and able to hunt on his own, it might benefit you on your journey to have him close. I heard you saying earlier that his heat was comforting.”
Taha’s eyes sparkle as he gives me a little nod of his head, which immediately calms some of my fears. I let out a breath, saying after a second, “I think I’d feel more at ease if he were there, yes. I can’t explain it… but I don’t like not being able to see and feel him close.”
Will nodded, “No need to say more. Trust your instincts, little coyote.”